Monthly Archives: December 2011

As we end 2011 and head into 2012, I though that this would be a good time to provide a quick update as to the status of my Andre Dawson baseball card collection.

2011 was a fantastic year of growth for my Andre Dawson collection. The attention given to him by Topps after his 2010 Hall of Fame induction equated to him being in many of the year’s releases. I easily added over 100 new cards of Dawson to my collection this year, brining my grand total to 936 Unique Andre Dawson baseball cards!!!

Along with all of the modern-era stuff that I grabbed, I also went old-school nabbing a decent sized handful of cards issued during Andre’s playing days that had eluded me prior.

As we end 2011 and head into 2012, I though that this would be a good time to provide a quick update as to the status of my Fergie Jenkins baseball card collection.

The collection really took shape this past year, as I looked beyond the cards that were issued during Fergie’s playing days. Between the modern-era cards, Game-Used relics, and certified autographed cards, I was able to get my collection up to 197 different cards – well over 80 new additions during 2011.

Clemente spent much of his time during the off-season involved in charity work. When Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, was affected by a massive earthquake on December 23, 1972, Clemente (who had been visiting Managua three weeks before the quake) immediately set to work arranging emergency relief flights.He soon learned, however, that the aid packages on the first three flights had been diverted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government, never reaching victims of the quake.

Clemente decided to accompany the fourth relief flight, hoping that his presence would ensure that the aid would be delivered to the survivors. The airplane he chartered for a New Year’s Eve flight, a Douglas DC-7, had a history of mechanical problems and sub-par flight personnel, and it was overloaded by 4,200 pounds. It crashed into the ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on December 31, 1972. A few days after the crash, the body of the pilot and part of the fuselage of the plane were found. An empty flight case apparently belonging to Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane. Clemente’s teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillen was the only member of the Pirates not to attend Roberto’s memorial service. The catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Clemente’s plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. Clemente’s body was never recovered.

At the time of his death, Clemente had established several records with the Pirates, including most triples in a game (three) and hits in two consecutive games (ten),. These include tying the record for most Gold Glove Awards won among outfielders with twelve, which he shares with Willie Mays.He also became the only player to have ever hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam.He accomplished this historic baseball-event on July 25, 1956 in a 9-8 Pittsburgh win against the Chicago Cubs, at Forbes Field. In addition, he was one of four players to have ten or more Gold Gloves and a lifetime batting average of .317.

I was able to snag this card on the cheap – and considering that it is limited to just 99 copies, I think I got a steal!!!

Paying just $2.10 for this beautiful Joe Morgan Game-Used jersey card was a no-brainer!!! And it is a fantastic addition to my Joe Morgan baseball card collection.

Have a peek:

While a car d with this much Bronze coloring normally would be too offensive for my liking, this one is actually pretty solid in my opinion. And what all of this extra Bronze does is allow for that sweet, Red swatch under Morgan’s photo to POP!!!